The chart above shows the amount of income on cigarette taxes from 2002 to 2010. As you can see, tax revenue has almost doubled. Compare that with this:
and you will see that revenues from cigarette taxes are soaring even as the number of smokers in the United States declines. Logical reason? The federal government and the states are imposing more and more taxes on the purchase of tobacco products. Is that wrong? I don't know, it all depends on who you ask. I mean, smoking causes lung cancer, among other deadly diseases; it's harmful to the environment, both in Carbon Monoxide emissions and all those littered cigarette butts; and it's harmful to those around the smoker, even if they choose not to smoke. So why wouldn't you want to force those who engage in the act of smoking to cough up an extra couple of bucks (that was a pun) as a tax? I have no problem with that.
THIS is what I have a problem with:
THIS is what I have a problem with:
Human Papillomavirus, or HPV, is a sexually transmitted virus that is the leading cause of cervical cancer, vulvular cancer, genital warts, and pregnancy complications due to changes in the cervix. It is dangerous, and it is becoming more and more prevalent among teenage and young-adult women. According to a study done at Cannon Air Force Base, at least fifty percent of sexually active women will have contracted some form of HPV by the time they are 24, and 40% of sexually active teens will have the virus by the time they graduate high school. This number is alarming to me; how about you?
So, let's establish criteria for comparison. Is HPV a cause of health problems for women? Absolutely. Is HPV harmful to the environment? Indirectly, it is, considering the best way to prevent it is through the use of a latex condom, which is not biodegradable and ultimately winds up on the ground at the park where you take your kids to play. Is it dangerous to others? Considering the fact that most teens and young women don't realize that they have HPV, it has a tendency to spread like wildfire among sexually active youths. As a matter of fact, the Center for Disease Control reports that more than 50% of all men and women in the United States have a form of HPV.
HPV has just as much negative impact on society, if not more, than smoking. The dichotomy exists in the fact that smoking is seen as a "nasty, disgusting habit" while HPV is just merely a risk to having sex, which is fun, revered as a God-given right of every pubescent male and female to engage in. Instead of taxing those who engage in dangerous behavior, the federal government spends millions of dollars every year PROMOTING it. While Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man have been banned from public advertisements, sex has become one of the leading industries in the country. While youths who smoke are "uncool," the latest trend is finding a girlfriend or boyfriend who is "down with whatever."
Now, of course, you can't tax sex without legalizing prostitution, but there are ways to combat the HPV problem in much the same way as tobacco use has been demonized. Where are the commercials of boys and girls with herpes all over their lips or papules hanging from their gums like stalactites? Where are the mandates forcing Trojan and Durex to spend their money educating teens on the consequences of promiscuity, much like is forced upon the Phillip Morris and R.J. Reynolds tobacco companies?
The only way to decrease the number of teens and young women with HPV is to decrease the number of teens and young women engaging in casual sex. Problem is, the government and women's rights groups feel that puts unnecessary restriction on a woman's right to have sex when and with whom she pleases, all while putting the burden of birth control funding, abortion funding, and STD treatment squarely on the shoulders of the taxpayers. I hear cries about the "War on Women" directed toward conservatives who "want to take away a woman's right to choose." Well, let me say this: I want you to be healthy. I want you to have healthy children, if that is your choice. I want you to live to a ripe old age without worrying about losing internal woman parts due to the cancer that is eating you. But the only way that can happen is for teen girls and young women to abstain from partnering up with every boy that has a cute smile. Anyone who would encourage you to do any differently is your enemy, and they are the perpetrators of the real war on women.
Women, start respecting yourselves. Show a little concern for your health and your future. If you don't want a baby, don't make one. Quit wearing clothes that show every guy around how easy you are. Most of all, wrap yourselves around those who love you and care about you without you having give them "a lil' sum'n" in return. Find your self worth. This is what a friend would say.
HPV has just as much negative impact on society, if not more, than smoking. The dichotomy exists in the fact that smoking is seen as a "nasty, disgusting habit" while HPV is just merely a risk to having sex, which is fun, revered as a God-given right of every pubescent male and female to engage in. Instead of taxing those who engage in dangerous behavior, the federal government spends millions of dollars every year PROMOTING it. While Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man have been banned from public advertisements, sex has become one of the leading industries in the country. While youths who smoke are "uncool," the latest trend is finding a girlfriend or boyfriend who is "down with whatever."
Now, of course, you can't tax sex without legalizing prostitution, but there are ways to combat the HPV problem in much the same way as tobacco use has been demonized. Where are the commercials of boys and girls with herpes all over their lips or papules hanging from their gums like stalactites? Where are the mandates forcing Trojan and Durex to spend their money educating teens on the consequences of promiscuity, much like is forced upon the Phillip Morris and R.J. Reynolds tobacco companies?
The only way to decrease the number of teens and young women with HPV is to decrease the number of teens and young women engaging in casual sex. Problem is, the government and women's rights groups feel that puts unnecessary restriction on a woman's right to have sex when and with whom she pleases, all while putting the burden of birth control funding, abortion funding, and STD treatment squarely on the shoulders of the taxpayers. I hear cries about the "War on Women" directed toward conservatives who "want to take away a woman's right to choose." Well, let me say this: I want you to be healthy. I want you to have healthy children, if that is your choice. I want you to live to a ripe old age without worrying about losing internal woman parts due to the cancer that is eating you. But the only way that can happen is for teen girls and young women to abstain from partnering up with every boy that has a cute smile. Anyone who would encourage you to do any differently is your enemy, and they are the perpetrators of the real war on women.
Women, start respecting yourselves. Show a little concern for your health and your future. If you don't want a baby, don't make one. Quit wearing clothes that show every guy around how easy you are. Most of all, wrap yourselves around those who love you and care about you without you having give them "a lil' sum'n" in return. Find your self worth. This is what a friend would say.
RSS Feed